If I'd found this a few days ago, it probably would have made the Stubby's House Christmas collection. I legitimately love this groove. C-Nochis an Indie R&B artist from just outside Detroit, Michigan. He grew up singing Gospel and, living just 10 miles from Hitsville, USA, he also has that Motown influence. ButC-Noch'ssound is more contemporary and he blends the Gospel and Motown with Hip Hop. The concept for"To Have A Merry Christmas"is brilliant. C-Nochstarts with"My Favorite Things". "Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, la la la la la la la..." What do you suppose a song like that means to a kid growing up near Detroit, Michigan? How could any city kid identify with any of that? Those aren't the images of Christmas they experience. No. Christmas to them looks like much of the rest of the year--broken glass, snow that's gone black from soot, bills in the mail that they can't afford to pay, a little girl gone missing on Christmas Eve, and far too many guns resulting in"blood in the streets". "What does it mean to have a Merry Christmas?"he asks. In the end, I believe he's rejecting both visions--the la-de-da fairytale holiday in the songs and commercials and the harsh reality he sees around him--as distractions from therealmeaning of Christmas. Anyway, that's what I'm getting from the tune, which is as musically well done as it is thought provoking. "To Have A Merry Christmas"byC-Nochworks for me on every level. Might not be what you want on your Christmas mixtape, but I'd want it on mine. Grab the free download onSoundcloudand dropC-Nocha "like" on Facebook. He deserves at least that much for this great Christmas track.

More of these types of things don't work than do. But Shuree's "Go Tell It On The Mountain" is just right. The old Gospel warhorse never sounded so lively as on this House mix. If you're looking for Christmas music to get people movin' and groovin' on the dance floor, you can start right here. "Go Tell It On The Mountain"by Shuree is free on Noisetrade (its livelier than their usual fare, too).

A tip o' the hat to Lie In The Sound for bringing this collection of Indie Pop and Indie Rock to light.

Since I speak neither French nor German, I can tell you that "Pop A Noel" was put together by Europop, Emission Electrophone, and Nancy(?). Who and what they are, I haven't got a clue. Looks like Nancy might be a town. But I can tell you that this is the first such collection AND that there is an intention to do more.

Several of these tracks sound, to me, like opportunities unfulfilled. An artist has a great concept for reworking a seasonal standard but then just doesn't go anywhere with it. As a whole, I suppose I'd give "Pop A Noel" a "B". But there are some tunes that rise above the rest and would be welcome on any holiday mix or in any holiday library. And, hey, it's free and (so far) every track here is exclusive to this collection. So why quibble?

My personal favorite on a first run through was Hoboken Division's "Cookies & Milk" ("You can keep your cookies and milk/I'm drinking whiskey now"). It just sounds like the most fully realized Christmas song in the lot. Other tracks I liked a lot include Tequilasavante's "Noches En Posadas" (there's something winning about a punkish one-man-band singing a Christmas song in Spanish on a French compilation that is otherwise sung in English), King Automatic & Rich Deluxe singing "Stay Drunk At Christmas" (with its double-oh-seven Surf guitar), Rich Deluxe again on "The Clarinet That Roared" (with its relentless circus rhythm), and "Je Coeur Noel" by Remi Santa and Friends, which has the sweetest Indie sound and likely the most staying power for that. "Rise Up Shepherd And Follow" was pretty good, too. The one that got away, as it were--the one I so wanted more from-- was Essia Esch's cover of Stevie Wonder's "What Christmas Means To Me". She found a totally new groove for the song and it could have turned into something super special, but it needed something more--a second gear, or, I dunno-- and it never got there and just kind of gave up. Too bad, she's got a sweet sound. And its still better than 95% of the covers of that song.

​Anyway, "Pop A Noel" is free for the taking on the Europop website, available in either MP3 or FLAC. Go get it.

I'm truly happy to see Nigerian music breaking through in this country. It's kind of neat. Of course, I've always enjoyed listening to Christmas music from far away places. It's something I used to long for as a kid. I'd be reading Billboard magazine, looking at the international charts at Christmas, and wondering why I couldn't listen to those songs.

Anyway, pardon the momentary reverie. Izzy Olaorewas born in Nigeria, but was raised in the U.S. Then he moved back to Nigeria for a bit. And, for the moment, he seems to have settled in Nashville. How cool would it be to hear Nigerian Country music? Well, that's not what Izzy does. If anything, he brings in more of a Gospel flavor, though there's also a clear R&B/Hip Hop influence to"Noel".

Izzy has a three song"Holiday Collection"--all three tunes free--up on Soundcloud. There's the regular mix of"Noel"and a third song,"Let's Go", which is more of a Club thing and doesn't strike me as all that holiday oriented. But the acoustic mix of"Noel"is the thing I liked here. Maybe I'm just getting too old(ain't no maybe about it, dude), but the other tracks are just too busy and loud for my head. The acoustic version of"Noel"appeals to me as a much more heartfelt and personal expression of the season. I ain't nobody special, but I'd be interested in hearing more fromthatguy. The bombastic, loud, Electro Funk Izzy...not so much. Just sayin'.

A young UK Soul/Blues/Pop singer/songwriter,Kat Eatonhas been compared to Amy Winehouse and, believe it or not, Joe Cocker. That's on the strength of her original music and performances. Listening to this gorgeous"Christmas EP", the first name that popped into my head was Joss Stone. I don't think that's quite right either, but the point is the woman has Soul. Kat's only commercial release so far (that I know of) is last year's EP"Live Ont' Sofa at the Foundry"("Live at the Foundry"for short). But she is working on a new record, now, and you might want to "like" her at Facebook to find out what's coming and when.

The"Christmas EP"is just three songs long and they're very much seasonal standards. I almost took a pass, but decided to give it a shot. I have lived my entire life without knowing that"It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas"had such beauty and depth. The secret, of course, is that it really doesn't....butKatdoes. Unlike a lot of artists who give a perfunctory nod to the season with a standard cover, Kat puts so much of herself into these songs that they are absolutely her's. I'm trying very hard to not like"Let It Snow", but Kat makes that impossible. And that's the least impressive of the trio (to me). The other two melt me into a puddle on the floor. Just. So. Beautiful. "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas"hasn't packed this much of an emotional impact since Judy Garland sang it. The rest of Kat's portfolio might be of a different flavor--haven't listened to much--but knowing she can do this....I eagerly await whatever she does next. GrabKat Eaton's "Christmas EP"at Soundcloud or use the widget above.

If those letters/characters are Japanese, the translation is Pomme. And, frankly, that's no clearer to me. Pomme can be a lot of things. And the band isn't Japanese (they're American). Given the dog that seems to be their mascot, I'm going to guess those characters are a cute abbreviation for "pomeranian". Frankly, the latest round of freebies is making me feel very old and unhip. I hope you're all pleased with yourselves. Moving on....Pomme (or Pom, Pomu)--whatever (you know, even Prince gave up that schtick)--combines a lot of different styles and sounds and the end result, I'm sorry to say, is magnificent. I love this stuff. And I hate myself for loving it. Who will I tell people to look for? Take some New Age, mix in some old school Soul, a dash of Disco for flavor, some Synth Pop for color, and season generously with Japanese Anime and you've got Pomme, or Pom, or Pomu. Whatever.
If there's a complaint, it's that these beautiful little soundscapes are all bonsai sized. It's music for people with short attention spans, I guess.
Damn, they make me feel so old.
Take a gorgeous riff like "Christmas Miracle". You want that song to go on for hours. But, no, it's just over 1 minute long. "Snowblind", which is basically a take-off on one riff of "Sleigh Ride", at least lasts 3 minutes (it's the longest track on the EP). And there's "Last Chance", which is almost certainly a take-off on 10cc's "I'm Not In Love". Somehow, it all sounds great, though. Damn them."Non-Denominational Holiday Special" is free (via Bandcamp). Not sure what to call the group ("I am not a glyph; I am a free man!"), but they do have a Facebook page.

This is one of those times when I ask myself, "Why does no one ever google their artist name before they take it on?"J. Rashad is a Soul/R&B/Hip-Hop artist. OK, we're safe there.....because ALL the J. Rashads are. Performer, writer, producer. Still safe. But I've got one J. Rashad from Ohio, one from Michigan, one from L.A. (although that could be the same one as from Michigan), and this J. Rashad from Oklahoma. Now they could all be the same J. Rashad. Or maybe he's discovered the joys of cloning. But my head is spinning trying to figure out who is who, so I give up.
This is the Oklahoma J. Rashad (as in Jamar Rashad Davis) and, from the other songs on his Soundcloud page, it sounds like he's still experimenting with different sounds (which is cool, you know). A recent grad of SWOSU, this is thisJ. Rashad's first original Christmas song and its a free download (which is also cool).
Maybe it was growing up while Motown was king, but I'm a sucker for smooth Soul and R&B. And, as I was digging through the crap on Soundcloud (looking for the ponies), I came across "What I Want For Christmas", my headache went away and I found myself breathing deep and saying, "Ah, that's nice." The cover art he went with is better than most, too.
So here's to you J. Rashad...whichever one you are.

There are a number of Christmas songs that have been done to the death--songs that were pretty annoying from the jump. "Blue Christmas"? To me, there can be no redemption for that song. The very best and most original arrangements of "Blue Christmas" are (to me), at most, tolerable.
But most of the otherwise overdone and annoying Christmas songs can be saved by a truly original approach. And one such song is "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus". The Jimmy Boyd version, of course, sports some retro charm, I'll buy that. And, when I think of that song, my thoughts go immediately to John Mellencamp's version. Well here's another one to tuck in your rolodex.Citrus & Katie (that would be lead vocalist Katie Howard, I'm guessing) turn "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" into some funky Cosmic Jazz. And its really, really cool. The arrangement grabs you right from the beginning, while Katie's vocals entice you to take this ride all the way. And just when you figure you've lost the Jazz thread a bit, they change the song up on you and, oh, man, at that point, you're a goner for sure. Andre Flores deserves to be singled out for the nimble sax solo on the back end. But all them cats is playing it groovy. And then...they stick the landing with a bit of glockenspiel and the tone of a bell.
The band hails from San Diego and they're as smooth as an ocean breeze. It's a little bit Steely Dan, a little bit Jazz Crusaders, a little bit Parliament, a little bit Psych, a little bit Indie Pop, and a little bit vintage torch singer. You'll find all that and more, if you start unraveling the threads. Just can't understand why you'd do that, though, when--all together--it's such a beautiful tapestry. Citrus & Katie delivered "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" just before last Christmas and I'd advise you to not only grab this one from Bandcamp, but to linger awhile and check out their other stuff (especially the single "Be My Ride"/"Pop Song (Whisper To Me)"). Everything Citrus & Katie have at Bandcamp is available either Free or as a Name-Your-Price. Their music is also up on SoundCloud. Then you can stop by the band's Facebook page and say, "Hello. Where have you been all my life?" They, of course, will promptly notify the authorities and secure a restraining order. So, yeah, best keep it simple and just hit the "Like" button. That'll do.

The FREE List

Here we hope to direct you to some of the Christmas music on the web that can be yours absolutely free. We will not direct you to mp3 or sharity sites, here, but only to artist sites, label sites, and other authorized and unquestionably legal locations.